G43 Magazine, ground dug - restore or not?

[stahlblue]

Hi guys,

I took a punt on this G43 mag on ebay, got it for £9 (about $15) all in so I was happy with that.

The story is that it came from a jumble sale in France (it came with a few ground dug 7.92 casings)

It's actually in pretty solid condition in hand. The spring still operates easily, which surprised me to be honest.

What are your opinions? Should I restore this mag and see how it cleans up, or leave it as it is? This is my first "relic" item so I'd appreciate any tips on restoring if that's what you recommend I should do!

Thanks in advance!

Dan

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[stahlblue]

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[stahlblue]

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[besslein]

looks like barn find,hmm,i will try to restore this one a bit.

[Gene]

If it's all a bunch of surface crud then sure, clean it up. But if it is pitted and has corrosion I would leave it as a battlefield relic. If something is damaged over time I think it looks more cool kept as a ground found piece than cleaned up.

[stahlblue]

I'm pretty sure it's just surface crud. I think I'll give it a light scrub with a toothbrush and some WD40 tomorrow, unless that's a no-no for any reason? Thanks for the input guys!

[DennyB]

I would suggest RB-17 and 0000 steel wool, it is good for surface rust.

[Ferdinand W.]

I'm pretty sure it's just surface crud. I think I'll give it a light scrub with a toothbrush and some WD40 tomorrow, unless that's a no-no for any reason? Thanks for the input guys!

Hi,

I would simply oil it with a good gun-oil, scrubbing could remove the black
original paint which is still present.
You have to know that the magazine is not blued but painted black.

Ferdinand W.

[Jean-Loup]

My personal preference would be to leave it, but this thing would clean up extremely well with some of the chemicals that are out these days ( see the before and after of the Panzerfaust here: http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...=448391&page=5
). Do not rub it with anything abrasive though. If you deicde to clean it, make sure you know how to use the chemical involved properly.

JL

[carbinekid]

From my perspective there are two ways to look at it, as a battlefield relic or as a usable magazine for a G43 you plan to shoot.

If it were me, I would disassemble it, sandblast it, repaint the exterior and get the follower and floorplate rephosphated, and buy a new spring and use it. G43 mags bring about $150 or more here in the states so I wouldn't feel bad about cleaning it up and making it usable. As a battlefield relic in the condition it is in the mag is useless and basically worthless.

My thoughts.

[coloprimus]

I would only oil it with gun oil, not to harm the painted areas.
Nice relic anyhow,
Cheers, Pierre

[brus]

Hello,
if you want preserve the black paint try to clean it with oxalic acid...

Greetings
brus

[me6_130]

If you want to keep it as a relic, I would use a tooth brush to remove supeficial dirt, then used some wax to stabilize the rust and make it look better. If you want to make it usable, then do as carabinekid has suggested. It depends on the real state of the metal, as working on it might brake it down to pieces.

Carles